BILL NUMBER: SCR 75	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JANUARY 27, 2014
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 21, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Galgiani

                        JANUARY 6, 2014

   Relative to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease awareness.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 75, Galgiani. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease awareness.

   This measure would encourage the State Department of Health Care
Services, the State Department of Public Health, and other state
entities to partner with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
stakeholders to improve education regarding COPD in the course of
implementing the statewide strategic plan.
   This measure would also designate November 2014 as Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month in California and
encourage public officials and the citizens of California to increase
awareness of the symptoms of, and the methods of preventing, COPD.




   WHEREAS, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known
as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the third leading cause of
death in the United States, claiming the lives of over 138,000
Americans in 2010; and
   WHEREAS, This is the 11th consecutive year in which women have
exceeded men in the number of deaths attributable to COPD. In 2011,
more than 72,000 women died compared to over 65,000 men; and
   WHEREAS, American women are about twice as likely to be diagnosed
with chronic bronchitis as men. In 2011, 3.3 million men (29.6 per
1,000 population) had a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis compared to
6.8 million women (56.7 per 1,000 population); and
   WHEREAS, COPD is a chronic and progressive disease that impacts an
estimated 24 million Americans each year, including an estimated 1.6
million residents of California who suffer directly from the
disease; and
   WHEREAS, In 2010, the national annual cost for COPD was estimated
to be $49.9 billion, including $29.5 billion in direct health care
expenditures; and
   WHEREAS, In 2006, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development reported that hospitalizations associated with COPD alone
amounted to an estimated $1.34 billion in medical costs within the
state; and
   WHEREAS, Many patients suffering with COPD are not diagnosed until
they have reached an advanced stage of COPD, which often includes a
disabling degree of lung dysfunction; and
   WHEREAS, A diagnostic test for COPD, known as spirometry, is
available for office use, allowing early diagnosis of COPD; and
   WHEREAS, Early diagnosis and management of COPD can effectively
reduce the overall financial burden of this illness on publicly
funded health care programs, including Medi-Cal; and
   WHEREAS, Achieving early diagnosis and proper management of COPD
among California's diverse populations, within the Medi-Cal program
as well as other publicly funded health care programs, requires
overcoming cultural, language, and literacy challenges; and
   WHEREAS, Proper management of COPD can lead to an improved quality
of life and self-sufficiency for patients who receive publicly
funded benefits; and
   WHEREAS, The "Healthy People 2020" project of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health
concludes that, while primary care physicians are in a key position
to provide optimal care to patients with COPD and to provide
counseling during clinical or health center visits, primary care
physicians need to be trained in the latest methods for diagnosing
and treating the disease; and
   WHEREAS, The California COPD Coalition has developed a
comprehensive plan to address COPD in the state, entitled the
"Strategic Plan to Address COPD in California," which outlines six
goal areas, including all of the following: prevention, quality of
care, public health infrastructure and advocacy, surveillance,
research, and public education awareness; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature encourages the State
Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public
Health, and other state entities, whenever possible, to partner with
COPD stakeholders to improve education in California regarding COPD
in the course of implementing the statewide strategic plan; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Legislature designates November 2014 as Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month in California. The
Legislature encourages public officials and the citizens of
California to increase awareness about the symptoms of, and the
methods of preventing, COPD; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.